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HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corp. April 1) – Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands has started a new initiative this year in appointing revenue collectors in each of the 33 wards in the Province.

The Province says the revenue collectors will be responsible for collecting licence fees from all businesses, including logging companies.

It says shipping companies servicing Malaita are also reminded that business licences and passenger levies are to be paid.

Businesses in Malaita, including its outer islands, have been reminded to renew their business licences and payments of licence fees for the 2005/06 financial year, which starts today.

Businesses which have outstanding amounts for previous years are also reminded to pay those dues.

Meanwhile, licences for businesses dealing in wildlife have been suspended, pending a review of provincial laws.

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, Mar. 31) - There has been a slightly increasing trend in mineral export receipts over the past three years.

Total receipts for 2004 were K5.9 billion (US$1.9 million), an increase of 1.1 percent from K5.8 billion (US$1.8 million) in 2003 and 23.3 percent up from K4.7 billion in 2002.

The Central Bank reported in its 2004 December quarterly economic bulletin that last year's increase was due to higher kina prices of all mineral exports, which more than offset declines in export volumes.

Gold export volumes were 66.2 tons in 2004, a decline of 3.2 percent from 68.4 tons in 2003. The decline was due to lower production from all the mines, except Lihir Gold, resulting from the mining of lower ore grades combined with declines in shipment.

The average free on board (FOB) price for Papua New Guinea's gold exports was K41.6 million (US$13,370 million) per ton in 2004, 1.2 percent higher than in...

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corp. Mar. 31) – Despite the Solomon Islands government’s long political support for Taiwan, the Solomons National and Labour Parties say they now recognise mainland China and its "One China" Principle.

A statement from the Opposition following the return of a delegation from a recent trip to China says this is one of the highlights of the trip.

That understanding was reached between the Communist Party of China and the National and Labour Parties of Solomon Islands.

Labour representative on the delegation and Opposition spokesman for Trade, Joses Tuhanuku, says with the booming economy of China at a rate of more than nine percent Solomon Islands has to immediately review its trade link with China with the aim to take advantage of any opportunity that huge economy may offer.

He says the consumption base of China's economy is so huge that it would make sense for Solomon Islands to improve its trade...

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (Matangi Tonga, Mar. 31) - A recently published assessment of hardship and poverty in Tonga, which was carried out jointly by the Government of Tonga and the Asian Development Bank in 2003, states that 23 percent of the 16 communities surveyed in Tongatapu, Ha'apai, Vava'u, 'Eua, Niuatoputapu and Niuafo'ou, were living below the poverty line of $28.18 (US$14.72) per person per week.

The report said that living under such a condition these poor families had to make difficult daily choices between "buying food or paying school fees."

The figures were based on an analysis of the Household Income and Exenditure survey of 2001.

To have a clear understanding of the Tongan situation it was necessary for the assessors to define hardship, or Tu'utamaki and poverty, or ‘masiva.’

Poverty, or masiva, is being without or having limited access to land, food, housing, education, health services, and money.

Flores was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday on charges of bank fraud and money laundering involving his investment in Pedro's Plaza.

According to the indictment, business partners Flores, Shinohara, businessmen Takahisa Goto and Keun Yil Kim, who bought Pedro's Plaza in May 1998, took out more than $3 million in loans from the Bank of Guam to buy and renovate the building.

However, according to the indictment, not all of those funds were used to improve the building. Instead, the money went into personal accounts and was not spent on improvements on the building, the indictment alleges.

Flores was a key witness in the trial against Shinohara this January. Shinohara was former Governor Carl Gutierrez's chief of staff...

SUVA, Fiji (Fiji Times, Mar. 31) - Land security concerns have been cited as the major barrier for investment in the country, a study conducted by the Fiji Islands Trade and Investment Bureau last year found.

Bureau chief executive Lailun Khan told participants of the Fiji Indigenous Business Council meeting yesterday that lack of markets, bureaucracy and regulations, political instability and delays in receiving approvals from relevant agencies were the other reasons. The Bureau conducted the study with the assistance of the World Bank after it found that only 12 to 15 percent of $1 billion (US$598 million) worth of projects registered with them since 2000 had been implemented.

However, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase who was also at the event said land issues and concerns being an impediment to foreign investment was only a perception.

Qarase said there were three categories of land in Fiji - native, State and freehold and the guidelines on leasing these types...

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, Mar. 31) – Those who wish to register political parties on Bougainville can now do so now.

The approval for registration of political parties on the islands was given by the Interim Bougainville Provincial Government in consultation with the Bougainville Peoples Congress on March 3.

Bougainville Governor John Momis said the formation of political parties is in accordance with section 237 (3) of the Bougainville Constitution.

The three main determinations for a political party to be recognized are that the political parties in Bougainville must have at least 10 members in each of the three regions of Bougainville, and that a political party must have policies on broad subjects of relevance to Bougainville and policies should be based on:

Other matters referred to in part three (Objectives and directive principles)

PAPEETE, Tahiti (Oceania Flash, April 1) –An estimated fifty members of French Polynesia's controversial Â« GIP Â» intervention group has on Friday (Thursday Tahiti time, GMT-10) resumed a blockade of the capital Pape'ete's main wharf, saying the terms of a memorandum of understanding reached at the weekend has not been respected.

Last week, the GIP, using forklifts and other machinery, had already blocked access to the main wharf in Pape'ete.

The disgruntled group (which is only part of an overall twelve hundred staff) was contesting the appointment of Robert Maker at the helm of the GIP, to replace Léonard Â« Rere Â» Puputauki.

After protracted talks with the disgruntled men's leader, French Polynesia's newly-elected President Oscar Temaru had reached an agreement, based on a compromise: that Maker would not, after all, be appointed GIP head, but instead would simply remain Temaru's special adviser.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, Mar. 31) – The Westpac Bank has warned that Fiji faces a tough year ahead with low economic growth and inflationary pressures from a higher oil price.

Westpac treasurer Robert Barnes says a period of stagflation should be expected.

This is a combination of stagnant economic growth and high inflation.

Mr Barnes says Fiji’s economy was already dented by higher oil prices last year and the pattern is set to be repeated, resulting in a decline in consumer spending.

The Reserve Bank of Fiji has already said that this year’s inflation rate will be revised upwards from 3.8 percent to 4.5 percent if the authorities grant increases in bus and tax fares which are under consideration.

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.